Advent

Thomas made the above advent wreath at school using rice, glue, and birthday candles. (It was made inside a plastic container. We took it out and put it on a dish before lighting it.)

We hadn't lit one at home in previous years, but I hope to make it a tradition from now on. Lighting the third candle tonight was not only a good reminder of the reason for the season but a great opportunity to teach Thomas about it as well. It may sound basic or just traditional, but it was very special to me, especially with the simple yet meaningful prayer we said with the lighting of each candle.

Of course there were also several days was also another day to open on this year's advent calendar,

there was wrapping,

and who could ever forget the baking?

I only made three small loaves of bread today, and the brownies were for us, but never fear. I have MANY further plans for this week and will share more soon.

I also went Christmas shopping yesterday with the family, though I am still quite behind on that front. We traded in Brian's car on Friday for a minivan (a pre-owned 2007 Chrysler Town & Country) and went out to Babies"R"Us to pick up a crib and changer before heading to Target for the gifts. We were SO grateful to have the stow & go seating. It was great! Of course we will be broke once again for a very long time, but Brian's car wasn't likely to last much longer, and we tried to make the most practical choice, all things considered. I hope it was the right one!

While this has nothing to do with advent, Thomas went to a sibling class at the hospital on Friday too, complete with a tour of the maternity floor so he will have an idea of where I will be in month or so. There was some button pushing on the beds, doll diapering, swaddling, and coloring...

Of course the weekend wouldn't have been complete without a little silliness, playing with the doctor gloves and hair cover thingy that the instructor gave him to take home just for fun.

Yeah, some day he will probably be very unhappy with me for posting those photos, but he was having so much fun that I couldn't resist pulling out the camera. We tried to take some more serious (yet happy) photos by the tree for the holiday cards but couldn't get one where he didn't look totally goofy. I ended up choosing a September photo for the cards (which I pick up tomorrow and will mail on Tuesday, so I apologize in advance if my card doesn't reach your door before Christmas), but at least they are finally on order.

And yes, I must mention football. I have neglected both the Patriots and Red Sox significantly here this year though not on purpose. In fact I have a whole slew of photos from our afternoon at Fenway in August that I just haven't yet shared. In any case, there was football today; namely there was yet another win for the Patriots. (I'm torn between celebrating and not saying a word because I don't want to jinx their record. -Yes, I admit to an occasional superstitious thought even though I know far better.)

Ultimately it was a very productive weekend though there is still so much to be done. I now expect a crazy week at work followed by a very busy Saturday at work and then a few days of rest and celebration at home... for which I am very excited. At some point we'll figure out how to get everything moved and set up for the baby, and I'm praying I manage to finish my online courses before too long, as I had planned to be much farther along on those by now. In the meantime we'll be baking some more, singing lots of Christmas songs, and enjoying a few small parties & more... Here's hoping you have a wonderful week before Christmas!